


The Time Keeper's lover

by monwonpanda



Series: IRIDESCENT | A Hyungwonho writing challenge [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: 2won, Harry potter inspired but really fantastic beasts, HyungWonho - Freeform, M/M, Romance, Soulmates, WizardAU, cute magi creatures, hyungwon is a mess, hyungwonho bingo on aff, idk - Freeform, its really just magical fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 05:39:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10507407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monwonpanda/pseuds/monwonpanda
Summary: For each depth, there is a shallow, for each egg white, there is a yolk. If we practise this belief, then for each magical realm there should be a realm without magic. And for each day the magical realm wandered further and further down the path of confusement, the non-magical realm just played dead.Magic/wizard au where Time goes missing and his lover needs to find him (for the first time).





	

When something as ancient has the time stops, it takes a while for anyone to notice. For those living above the conscience realm, it takes a while for them to look outside their window and realise.

Time went missing.

The sun wandered and the moon overslept, the morning of warmth turned into the dullness of evening. Memories were muddled and happenings were confused with dreams. Eating times were jumbled up and children never knew when their homework was due. Each memory or story, made up or not, seemed alike. Like it hadn’t happened because

When did it happen?

I don’t.

How old were you? Do the math.

I don’t know.

For each depth, there is a shallow, for each egg white, there is a yolk. If we practise this belief, then for each magical realm there should be a realm without magic. And for each day the magical realm wandered further and further down the path of confusement, the non-magical realm just played dead.

Looking through the waterfall of Arcus, the nymphs of the east springs could see.

The humans are not moving.

Up in arms, the M.A.N.A or the magical apprehension negotiation alliance took to the court. It was their duty to preserve cordial relationships with the human world and by that, they mean it's up to them to ensure the magical realm is aptly concealed.

Humans are fickled creature. Saying one thing and doing another. 

Can’t be trusted.

The Time Keeper made no appearance and the council had no one to question but themselves.

What are they to do now?

In all honesty, the elder members of the council didn’t even think the Time Keeper could make an appearance. Once taking up the position, the candidate never leaves the edge of time. It's there, in the home of the Time Keeper which is never there or here or relevantly anywhere, that a selected few are gifted with an invite. Far too few because the last timekeeper was a lost soul and worry they did about him.

Unlike the previous keepers, Soohyuk was not awarded a lover. It wasn’t a simple transaction. Just as he was born with his destiny, another was born to wed him. Now thirty years into his stay, no such person had stepped up. Oh and worry, that's all they could do.

Until he went missing.

Then they worried and searched for him. High and low but to no avail. Time was like smoke in the hands of the witches and wizards, slipping through their fingers.

For years they took care of things manually. The ushering of the sun, the seconds pushed by at the new grandlock in Lilit square with the help of the help of the Sirins. The day would start and end with the diligent hands of the council.

Until one day the excited nymphs buzzed into the office of the chief and yelled over one another. High pitched voices all piled on top one another, the chief strains his ears to make sense of it all. Shy eyes and blue wings, one little nymph steps towards and whispers gently.

"The human world is alive, time has begun."

And yet for the inhabitants of the magic realm, it remained ceased but the occurrence did not come without it’s own blessings.

Somewhere, approximately a year after the disappearance of Time keeper's disappearance, a child marked as the Time Keeper’s lover was born.

And they knew, he was out there. Not Soohyuk but another would arise and this little soul would lead the council to him. For the lack of a current Time Keeper, the council would have to show him the path he only could walk.

But firstly the needed to find him.

Something only the time keeper’s lover could do.

And so all their hopes laid the delicate hands of the sleeping infant.

Softly and for the first time, his name was to be said.

"Today marks the ceremoniously birth of the Time Keeper’s lover. Within well wishes, we bestow upon the name that will guide him into the arms of his lover. Into the time he shall surpass, I present to you, son of Chae Dowoon and Yerin

The Time Keeper's lover Chae Hyungwon."

-

“Don’t you feel it?”

Hyungwon looks at his teacher with mock fascination.

“You can’t can you?” she asks again. Like it ain't obvious,

Dropping his head, he releases a worn out sigh. For how long shall he endure this? Being born the Time Keeper’s lover wasn’t as grand as the title indicated.

Firstly, no one knew where the actual Time Keeper is.

Secondly, Hyungwon is apparently supposed to be able to sense him but Hyungwon has the magical sensitivity of a five-year-old.

Thirdly, everyone thinks this title makes him unquestionably exceptional.

In school, he is but only because he was brought up to be, not for a self-worth or self-progression. Nope, he had to be smart because the Time Keeper would expect him to be. No one said it but they must have thought it.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you!” she yells in frustration.

Honestly, he doesn’t know either. He can see energy pretty well, he excels at it but feeling them out and deciphering their nature is well beyond his reach. You can only tell so much about a spell from hearing it or seeing it. If you can break down the elements, you can restyle it however you wanted to. You have to feel it.

Hyungwon’s magical senses are basically numb. Just dead nerves.

He’s been here with the same tutor for the last six years and he would like to say they have gotten accustomed to each other but that would be a lie. His tutor would not be accustomed to failure. 

Each evening, she reports to his father with the same story packaged in a different wrapper.

His father doesn’t pry though, Hyungwon thinks he’s given up but the lessons don’t stop. Each day, draped in the worn out grey uniform, on the furthest ledge of their property where Hyungwon can see the Lilit grand clock. A reminder as to what he’s purpose is. 

It’s shadow always cast over Hyungwon’s light.

His lacked of magical sensitivity is eventually accepted and a number of his other short comings come to light. The stuff he can actually work on and improve but the lessons don’t stop.

At least get a new tutor.

He's sure his current one is fed up with him.

-

Comfy in his pyjamas, Hyungwon is bewildered when his mother rushes into the room. Her eyes are glossy as she struggles to find words but Hyungwon reaches for her hands and she calms.

"Lady Amarava is awake."

The stillness of his rooms threatens to drown him. His patchwork blanket is tossed aside and the elusive times seems to accelerate but his mind still lingers behind his hasty actions.

The ancient witch, lady Amarava, the warrior witch that separated the two worlds of the magic and the non-magic. The ancient soul that only awakens every few centuries to warn of the nearing catastrophe.

The last time she awoke, she predicted the fall of the skylands. It was fortunately not taken light and an army of witches and wizards were present to collectively sustain the floating land till a new spell was cast.

"she wants to see you."

He can’t be too surprised but that didn’t stop him from being terrified.

He dresses up in a fitted black pants and a simple black T, the house servants drape an oatmeal linen gown over his shoulders. Tying it up, the only visible part of his initial outfit is his black slip on. Simple stud earrings adorn his ears and strand of waterfall pearls lay around his neck.

His hair is a mess though and the best he can do is brush it back with the help of some slime.

Inhaling deeply, he enters the lounge to meet his father’s disapproving frown. The grandeur of their lavished lounge over shadowed by the serious of the occurrence.

He had taken too long.

In silence, they walk to the foot of the mantel piece. A little piece of paper is unfolded and inside scrolled out in a blue shimmering ink is a design of a coiled snake. It worries him further. Bracing himself, Hyungwon barely has enough to take in a full breath before his father warps them into the darkness.

Hyungwon couldn’t see a thing but he doesn’t panic. He can hear his father close. He made up for his lack of sensitivity with a deeper awareness of his other senses.

"I, Chae Dowoon, seek your guidance for my son Chae Hyungwon."

"The Time Keeper’s lover?" strained voice asks.

Hyungwon doesn’t why but he answers,"yes."

The silence stands.

"I only need the lover," She finally instructs.

Hyungwon’s breath hitches when he feels his father depart. 

Nibbling on his lip, he looks around in the dark.

"Can’t you sense me?" she sounds amused.

"No, I can’t sense much," Hyungwon answers truthfully.

A shrill laugh pierces the dark and from the roof, a bubbling of glowing liquid pour into the crevices of the wall. The glow consumes the room and Hyungwon finds himself in the middle of a …cave?  
The walls are grey, within them is a type of fine webbing to accommodate the glowing red liquid. His hands reach to indulge in his curiosity.

“Don’t !”

Hyungwon stumbles back in surprise.

"Not very bright are we?”

Finally, he locates the owner of the voice. In the furthermost part of the space is an old lady on a wax mat. She’s beyond ancient, her lips almost non-existent as her her wrinkled dark brown skin sag while her grey eyes water.

It’s not a pretty sight. It only gets worst when she smiles because a row of long crooked teeth is on display. Around her is a variation of tall vases decorated with unfamiliar patterns. She leers at him before laughing once again. Her throat gets caught and chokes the remainder of the laughter out.

"I’m sorry," Hyungwon apologies as he bows.

“That’s lava boy,” She says as she waves him off.

Hyungwon eyes widen and he reaches to feel the heat and he isn’t disappointed.

"You know where we are?" she asks as her scrawny fingers braid her long twisted hair.

"No," he attempts to approach her but finds the ground soggy underneath his feet.

"We’re in the depths of the ocean, the caves that houses the giant snake Senzo. It’s where I rest when I awaken. It’s comfortable. At the foot of a volcano, perfect to combat the cold of the oceans black water. We’re so far away from the sun that the fishes here are born blind." She laughs again, obviously pleased by the terror seizing Hyungwon’s features.

"I see," he says, not sure why.

"You’re an interesting fellow, What happen to your lips, got into a roughing?’

“N'No,” he stutters in defence,"they’re just like this."

The teasing in her eyes tame down and her hair is abandoned. One of the vase tips over and she reaches to retrieve a long golden pipe from the vases' depth. She pulls some greenery from a mini jar kept by her side and pushes it into the pipe’s mouth. Her outstretch finger catches a drop of lava and she casually uses it to light the pipe. 

Inhaling, her hair is tossed back to reveal a pair of intricated ornaments hanging from her stretched earlobes.

He’s so lost in all the detail, he doesn’t notice her eyes on him.

"You’re worried you won’t find him,"

So it is a 'he'. Hyungwon always felt that the Time Keeper was a male.

"I am," he confesses for the first time, hs eyes distractedly glancing at the gleaming gems embedded in the wall.

“Why?" she asks before taking another pull.

"Because we need him."

“We?” she quirks an eyebrow.

"Everybody, the magical realm needs him to come back. The world might end without him. I-"

"You?" She speaks slowly, "That’s what I want to know about, not about these other people. I want to know about the Time Keeper’s lover."

"I’m scared I’ll be alone forever," wide-eyed, Hyungwon’s hands smack against his mouth at the realisation.

Her aged eyes glint mischievously.

He isn't supposed to think like this. He was the Time Keeper’s lover, he was supposed to bring his lover back and set everything right. The council and his family were counting on him. He was supposed to think about the bigger picture, just not himself.

But he didn’t to be alone.  
Not forever.

"This is why you can’t sense any magic, your heart is locked," she laughs bitterly, "he locked you up and only he can release you from this prison."

Huh, Hyungwon just stares at her creased features.

But.

“But how am I suppose to sense him." All this time, he’s been trying in order to sense his lover, so he can identify the time keeper because he’s the lover and only he should know. 

He should but he can’t sense shit and it makes him feel like nothing more than a failure.

How is he suppose to find the Time Keeper if the Time Keeper doesn’t allow him?

Hyungwon feels the room spin, the ground getting shaky and he drops to his knees. The ground is wet and cold undeath his palms but he welcomes the cool into the over heating of his body. He can feel his ears burning brightly. The prophet’s eyes dragging over him in vague concern.

"Don’t get all dramatic now," she says oddly reassuring, "he’s waiting for you but he’s not here."

That snaps him out of his despair, "there’s still a way."

"Of course, the stars don’t write their own deaths."

Hyungwon crawls towards her, his heart in his hands, his eyes wide and glossy, "I need him."

She scoffs as she flings a golden pocket watch at him, "then go to him, in the human realm."

-

So here he is, his visitation permit in one hand and a bag of god-knows-what in the other. Sleepyashe, his pet platypus is tucked into his coat inner pockets.A M.A.N.A staff approaches him and Hyungwon offers him the slip. He doesn’t miss the way the staff’s eye widen before he wordlessly hands Hyungwon the slip back. No inspection needed. Thank god because he most definitely did not declare a Purrly platypus because he doubts they were allowed to cross over.

Numerous signs all over the station confirm that doubt.

He had been briefed on the human realm but not in great detail. Either way, he was apprehensive in general. Wizards did not speak fondly of humans, nope, quite the opposite. The common belief is that they are sly, dense and untrustworthy.

Don’t trust them.

Looking down at the pocket watch, Hyungwon wonder’s what's his lover doing all the way over there.

The trains board on time or at least the new wizardry time and Hyungwon finds himself in a private cabin. Perfect for him to drive himself crazy with all kinds of scenarios and maybe kill himself with an anxiety attack, if he’s lucky.

But he’s not allowed that luxury either because killing himself would mean killing his lover.

And that means potential destroying Gaia.

He brought a book and some snacks but in the end, he ultimately falls asleep.

-

Don’t trust them, he father had said on numerous occasion. Each time in that deep gruff voice that scared Hyungwon shitless.

Don’t trust them.

Warm, that’s the first thing he feels, like the lava in Amarava’s cave but this one moves him and shakes him.

"Hey," A voice whispers.

Warmth does not speak.

In flash, the lanky boy jerks awake, his head bolting right into the face of the poor soul in front of him.

There’s a splutter of apologies and ‘ohs’ with the boy clutching his face in agony. Hyungwon thinks he can feel his forehead sting. Sleepyashe stirs from his own sleep and pokes into his side.

Finally fully awake, Hyungwon mutters another string of coherent apologies but the raven haired boy, now on his feet, waves him off. He removes his hand to reveal a bright red indent on the inner corner of his eyebrow.

Immediately, Hyungwon is floored by the other’s beauty. The skin is too pale and the indent looks painful, Hyungwon winces. The boy’s eyes are dark and virtually bottomless because Hyungwon finds himself drowning in them.

“You okay?”Much too pink lips ask.

"yeah," not willing to allow himself the time to further embarrass himself, Hyungwon gets up and reaches for his luggage.

Bag in hand, Hyungwon awkwardly shuffles out before the stranger can say anything more. He can feel his cheeks tinge pink and voice in his head yelling loudly.

You’re not suppose to find humans cute!

Oh, Hyungwon never thought that moment would come. He never wanted to say it out loud but he really did believe in his fate, he believed the Time Keeper would be his only love. Back home, everyone just seems to pale in comparison to the fantasy of his lover.

But good looking back there could contestant number two any day.

He’s so caught up, it only starts to sink in when he reaches the foot of the subway station stairs. People in all types of clothes file past, not even glancing in his direction. If he wasn’t so brazenly lost in his wandering attraction, he might have taken the time to really absorb his surroundings but he hadn’t. That makes the next move even more breathtaking. Reaching the top of stairs he carefully manoeuvres around the crowd and lets his eyes wander.

It’s nothing like he’s ever seen before.

The sky is so blue and the sun so bright, everything feels so intense. The air tastes strange and the wind is chilly and he can feel it drying up his skin. The energy here is so much more stable, the fine lines of the energy fields move freely through the air. They’re consistent but change colour every now again.

The object that catches his eye the most is this absurdly tall but narrow building. There’s nothing like that in the magical realm and they have moving pictures.

Is someone doing that?

"Hey you," He hears someone calling out but doesn’t think much of it.

Sleepyashe perks up, his snout tingling with foreign smells. Hyungwon pushes him back into the pocket but stops half way when realises no one can see Sleepyashe. He must look weird pushing hair into coat but oh well, he’s probably going to display a lot of bizarre behaviours in this world.

Not wanting to linger, he heads in no particular direction as Sleepyashe unfolds the invitation and pokes his master with it.   
Hyungwon knowingly takes it from the platypus and skims over it.

Ms.Hyo’s red velvet house

Hyungwons heard that word before, it's supposed to be some kind of cake. They have red cakes too but no one really refers to it by the colour. You can get a red cake in all types of flavours. His favourite being seaweed.

Walking absent-mindedly through the streets, he keeps a vigilant eye out for cars. He had been wandered multiple times about them, more than he would have liked. These things were apparently dangerously, life-threatening so.

Watching all the colours go by, Hyungwon starts thinking back to the boy on the train. He was barely a boy, more of a man. Can’t be much older than Hyungwon himself but the stranger was much more built. Strong shoulders and oddly narrow waist, shorter than Hyungwon but most people were. What Hyungwon remembered the most was the breathtaking smile that graced the stranger’s lips. It was a pretty good looking human to run into for his first time.

So lost in his thoughts, he barely registers the absence of Sleepyashe. The sly platypus creeps out, his eyes locked on the bakery across the street. He can smell it, something sweet, something savoury. Eyes sparkling with mirth, he gently hops out and scurries aware. He would always find Hyungwon later. How big could this earth place be?

"hey wait, tall person!" Hyungwon hears it more clearly but he can’t imagine anyone calling out to him. 

No one would know him to begin with but tall was a word that was commonly used to define Hyungwon all too often(Skinny being the second). He peeks behind his shoulder before his blushing face forces him to look straight

OMG, it’s the guy from the train.

He argues he just found the other attractive but it makes the wizard feel nervous all the same. He already turned around, it would be rude to walk away. Instinctively he reaches for the comfort of his pet which only proves to achieve the exact opposite because the platypus is no longer in the designated pocket. Wides eyes drop to the ground as he searches for the creature, the approaching figure only making him panic even more.

Maybe he should run but where to? That didn’t matter because why would the stranger chase after him? Unless he did something but that smile.

And Hyungwon justs Oh no, oh no

Hyungwon feels his stomach drop when he catches flashes of peacock green scurrying across the road.

Where there are cars!

No second thought goes into his next move, Hyungwon sprints as fast as he can. Dashing into the road, hoping nothing would happen to Sleepyashe before he reaches him. Feet hit hard on the asphalt and he drops to his knees when he finally reaches him. Hyungwon bundles him up in his arms, muttering some thank you to the goddess above.

“Hey watch out!”

He only catches a glimpse of the handsome stranger running at him before he turns his attention to a gigantic blue heading thing coming straight at him. He doesn’t think much, his survival skills kicking in and he effortlessly warps himself to the red velvet inn.

-

Dropping into the safety of a flowery room, Hyungwon deflates in relief. It doesn’t last long because when he looks for Sleepyashe, he finds the platypus sitting on the chest of the handsome stranger.

Tired eyes look at the furry creature smiling sweetly,”You’re killing me Sleepyashe.”

“Oh my,” A women walks in, her hair is long and curly with all types of beautiful flowers perched in random swirls,”You must be Hyungwon.”

He clumsily gets to his feet and attempts a bow, his hair swinging in front of his eyes.

Smiling shyly, he gets a good look at her. Her lips are stained a deep purple while her eyes are winged thickly and surrounded by a gold hue. Rosy cheeks swell up as she smiles and he can see the depth of her dimples.

“Welcome to red velvet inn, I’m Ms.Hyo. Don’t mean to sound rude hun but who’s the gentlemen on my floor?” He can’t fault her on that question.

Glancing nervously at the still body, Hyungwon tries to come up with something, anything really but a shrug is the best he can do.

“I don’t know,”

He really was too honest sometimes.

-

The stranger, now tucked into one of the available beds, is being watched over by Sleepyashe and one of the inn’s patrons.

“I’m really sorry,” He apologises again,”I didn’t know he was so close.”

Hyungwon is currently sitting on a stool in the kitchen as Ms.Hyo prepares tea. Hyungwon isn’t exactly sure how red velvet cake looked but if the inn was anything to go by then it should be bright flavoursome cake with a strong sweet aftertaste. Every inch of the inn is laced lightly or brightly with shreds of colour. The Kitchen units are read and the tiles are black and white chequered with the walls adorned with floral pattern tiles. The very stool he's sitting on is a baby blue.

“No worries, let him rest and when he wakes we can wipe his memory clean,” She smiles as she hands him a gold teacup of rooibos,"Wouldn't be the first time I've had to resort to it."

 Hyungwon accepts it gratefully, he really needed to unwind. Rolling his shoulders, he watches as Ms.Hyo slips out the door, her long lace skirt trailing behind her.

Inhaling the foreign liquid, his lips are barely an inch away from the brim when he hears Sleepyashe almost shriek. Hyungwon places the cup down as carefully as he can but he’s only at the foot of the stairs when he hears a girl scream.

“He’s awake!”

His long legs jump the stairs and he almost stumbles when he runs through the door. His brow furrows at the questionable scene. The patron is struggling to pry Sleepyashe who has a tight grip on the stranger’s shirt.

Bewildered, that the only word he could use to describe the look on the human’s face is bewildered but still pretty handsome.

He hears the patron make a strangling noise and Hyungwon rushes to her aid.

“Let go of him,”he growls but the pet simply refuses.

The pulling becomes more frantic but the human tries his best to create some leverage but Sleepyashe isn’t having it.

There’s a sudden rush of inertia and Hyungwon finds himself tumbling to the ground with the patron and the pet. He shakes his head as he sits up on the floor, his pet blabbering away crossly at him. The patron makes a noise of disapproval before she limps out of the room, Hyungwon muttering an apology once again. 

Getting up, Hyungwon looks at the stunned human and immediately regrets it. Straight down the middle, the stranger’s shirt is torn apart. Probably thanks to work of his pet platypus's and pain in the ass.

Not that Hyungwon should complain, behind that killer smile and pale skin was a pretty tone abdomen. The lines of the six pack evident but not bulging.

Still, Hyungwon looks away because staring would be rude and he feels like his cheating on the Time Keeper.

These damn humans keep testing me.

Eyes looking at the side of the wall, he speaks in fake confidence,”I’m sure you have a lot of questions and I just want to say I'm sorry and i-"

The evasive explanation is cut short when he hears giggling and he isn’t pleased to find Sleepyash in the human’s hand, smiling happily from all the petting.

“Hey that's my platypus,” Hyungwon accuses.

“I know, I know,” Hyungwon hears him speak for the first time and he feels himself swallow hard.

 For a beefy person with a pretty yet boyish feature, the stranger’s voice is quite soft and nasally. Something the lanky wizard didn’t expect.

The pet platypus seems all too comfort in his pale hands and Hyungwon doesn’t know who’s he jealous off more.

“You were saying,” the human glances at him and Hyungwon feel himself blush.

Clearing his throat, he tries to recover his progress but fails and ends up with something completely different, ”I’m a wizard.”

He thinks he should regret that but the human just furrows his brow while juggling the platypus from one hand to the other. Of course, his attention is drawn to the bare skin.

The platypus's drops into the view and Hyungwon immediately looks away. The Human doesn’t miss it and brings a pillow to cover his bare body.

“Sorry if I was making you uncomfortable but in my defence, it’s kind of your fault my shirt ripped in the first place,” He apologises and Hyungwon has to admit he speaks well with a well-considered choice of words.

Getting to his feet, Hyungwon ignores the statement all together,” Forget about what I said early.”

His long fingers reach for Sleepyashe but the platypus hides behind the human. Hyungwon can feel a vein about to pop.

The human laughs at the sight and Hyungwon hates how each and every action of this single human is having such a profound effect on him.

But he’s tired and he’s never been one for confrontation.

So lets Sleepyashe be and falls onto the bed next to the humans. This room is much tamer than the rest of the house, the floors are wooden and the walls are burnt orange with a white ceiling. It’s sparsely decorated and obviously appropriate for those on a budget or so the Time Keeper’s lover thinks. Humans could think else wise.

The silence lingers and the wizard feels his body getting heavy but he couldn’t sleep. He needed to call Hyo and clean the human’s memory out and put him back. Maybe at the train station.

“A wizard,” the human hums, “Well wizard, my name is Shin Hoseok.”

Hyungwon doesn’t react, honestly, he’s already dozing off. It’s a terrible habit of his. The room gets darker but before he can fully switch off the lights, the door swings open.

He knows his Ms.Hyo, he heard her heels coming down the hall.

“You’re awake,” She states brightly,”but dear lord, what happened to your shirt?"

Hyungwon can’t see what's happening because his eyes are drifting shut be he hears the human’s voice fade away.

When he awakes, his body feels lighter. The time in this realm has such a profound effect. It almost feels odd to look at the time, the correct time.

“He's awake,” a voice yells, much too loud. 

Hyungwon thinks that’s the second time he’s heard that recently. Deja vu.

Oh!  
The human!

He wakes up much too fast and his head instantly spins. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his head hung between his knees, he feels the awareness flow into him.

Sleep here was somewhat different, more rewarding.

Stretching out all the little kinks, he heads down stairs which have apparently changed directions since yesterday. Silently, he wanders aimlessly, the place couldn’ be that big. There’s all types of decor just laying around, antique elephant statues, big painted rugs hung against the wall, lots and lots of mirrors, all with intricate frames. He takes note of his dishevelled feature but it’s okay, he needs to find a way back to his actual room and have a proper bath. From the corner of his eye, he catches a fleeting glint. It moves back and forth. Hyungwon walks towards it. It works in his favour because the closer he gets, the louder the new found voices become. Eventually, he reaches a white panelled door but when he looks through the glass, there’s nothing but an empty room but magic is as such. He swiftly opens the doors and isn’t the least bit surprised when he’s met with a large table in a lush garden.

But the sun, poses the greatest threat, he feels himself go blind. The silver chimes resonate against each other and Ms.Hyo ushers him into a seat, a seat next to the human. Sleepyashe is there, in the lap of the stranger. Hyungwon glares at him but his pet ignores him, too busy stuffing his face with food.

The white wooden table is packed with all types of foods, most looking too colourful to actually eat. It doesn't deter his pet.

“Morning,” The humans greets and Hyungwon just glances at him.

The most breathtaking smile graces his lips and with the combination of the sun illuminating his features, Hyungwon is embarrassed at his own unbecoming appearance.

He really needs to be more put together, just in case he runs into the Time Keeper.

The gleaming of the lights buzzes around as the shards of glass on the dream catcher sway in the light breeze. It's something to distract himself with but his attention is immediately drawn back to the excitable figure next to him.

“Hoseok doll the clothes aren’t too small are they?”Ms.Hyo asks from the furthermost side of the table.

It immediately reminds Hyungwon of the exposed abdomen and he feels himself cringe but looks to the human anyway. He’s wearing a reddish shirt that has frills around the neck and narrow cuffs at the wrist.

It was feminine but perfectly stunning against pale flesh.

Ms.Hyo starts talking animatedly and the human seems to thoroughly enjoy the conversation.

“Hoseok,” he wonders out loud, only to have the human look at him.

“Yes, I tried introducing myself but you were already asleep. The name’s Shin Hoseok,” he smiles brightly, too brightly.

Hyungwon wonder’s if the Time Keeper’s smile would be this breathtaking. 

How stupid, how could Hyungwon ever compare a human to the Time Keeper.   
Foolishness.

“Are you going to tell me your name or should I just call you wizard,”  
Hyungwon has said a lot of unnecasary things in his lifetime but that had to take the cake.

“It Hyungwon, Chae Hyungwon.” He says, his face stubborn as a bull.

He doesn’t grace the human with another glance but he can feel him smile all the same.

“Hyungwon darling, won’t you eat? You must starving after your train ride and your little nap.”

Hyungwon looks expectantly at Ms.Hyo but soon realises the day might not be over. How long did he sleep for, he was sure that he would wake up in the next day.

“Hyungwon,” She presses and he feels concerned eyes on him.

“How long did I sleep?” He asks.

“Less than an hour,” Hoseok supplies.

Sleep really is more rewarding here. The lanky wizard wonders if sleep would feel like this when he brings back the Time Keeper. 

Would that still apply to him if he’s living on the edge of time.

He supposes bath wasn't necessary after all.

“You okay,” the human asks and Hyungwon just looks at him pointedly before reaching for a royal cream.

Hoseok chuckles, his fingers coming down to stroke Sleepyashe’s hair as he mumbles,”I don’t think your owner like me very much.”

Damn right I don’t. How dare you try to compete with the Time Keeper.

Hyungwon proceeds to fill his empty stomach while the human and his pet inspect the garden’s various flower species. Even then Hyungwon can hear Hoseok gasping in amazement.

It can’t be that amazing.

“Is the human realm always this sunny?” he asks in between chewing.

Ms.Hyo only snicker,”No silly, this is the sun room. I created this space to stay like this through out the year. A haven for my flowers.”

Explains a lot, the space is like a miniature forest. The trees and bushes part to make way and the flowers protrude out of every nook and cranny.

“How come you haven’t wiped off his memory?”

It takes her by surprise, her dark lips twitch into a smile,”well I like him. His expressions are so comical, I thought I should keep his company a little longer. Honestly, he feels different, doesn’t he?”

“I can’t feel much,”Hyungwon admits bitterly but what would he feel from a human.

“Oh,” her lips purse together,”that’s a problem, how do plan on finding the Time Keeper.

He isn’t hundred percent sure but according to the prophet, the pocket watch will guide him. That’s all he had to go on. He reaches into his pants pocket for the comfort of the cool brass but he finds nothing, just the silk lining of his pants. Terror ceases his face and Ms.Hyo look at him in concern.

“Darli-”

Jumping out of the chair, Hyungwon’s thin fingers hastily searches his body. There are so many pockets in his coat, mostly empty. He didn’t expect it to be in anyone of those, at the M.A.N.A station, he remembers specifically putting it into his pants pocket.

“It’s gone,”He gasps, his head spinning.

This can’t be happening.

His panicking gets the attention of his pet and Sleepyashe tugs at his pants.

Fear fill his eyes as he stares down at his pet, the words threaten to let a tear slip,”I lost it. I LOST IT.”

“Lost what?” the human timidly asks but Hyungwon doesn’t answer, his head hung lowly,”It wouldn’t be a small pocket watch, would it?”

He really hopes it’s not but the way everyone is looking at him, he pretty sure he hit the nail right on the head.

First up is the blabbering of Sleepyashe, his webbed feet bouncing as he rushes towards Hoseok. He’s so focused on the aquatic pet, he only notices Hyungwon when he’s too near. Scrawny hands grab on the frills of Hoseok’s shirt and the human feels himself being jerked up. It’s a fairly aggressive but when Hoseok does look up, the wizard looks like he’s own the verge of tears.

It makes him panic to console the other, no matter how rude the supposed wizard was,”Listen, you left it on the train, I was running after you but we ended up…here.” and you didn't look interested, so I thought maybe it was some one else.

Hoseok feels the grip on his shirt lessens.

“You have it?” Hyungwon asks hopefully.

Hoseok didn’t know about that. He reaches to search his own pocket but they come up empty,”Did you check my bag?”

Hyungwon eyes widen as he stares at the human. It freaks Hoseok out a bit. The wizard had very peculiar features, definitely not something Hoseok comes across often.

“You didn’t have a bag hun,” Ms.Hyo aids Hyungwon.

“Then we must have left on the ro-“ he doesn’t get too far because Hyungwon has already pinpointed the location and instantly warps them there.

Every second that goes by could be a second the world needs to survive. Whether it be Gaia of earth, Hyungwon could not fail. He was fighting for his own happy ending at the end of the day.

Whenever the end of the day came.

Mauve macaroon in hand, Ms.Hyo sighs,”They didn’t even say bye.”

-

If anyone noticed the two boys just appearing out of thin air, they obviously didn’t make a scene of it. Most likely they would be questioning their sanity. Humans are weird like that. Don't even trust themselves. The crowd rushes past them as Hyungwon has conveniently warped them into the exact spot in which he previously found Sleepyashe, in the middle of the road.

“Do you see your bag?” Hyungwon asks as soon as he can speak, not bothering to check on the stunned human.

Hoseok doesn’t answer, he just leads the wizard and the pet platypus to the safety of the sidewalk.

Hyungwon wants to repeat himself but Hoseok cuts him off, ”You can’t just stand idle in the middle of the road. It’s dangerous.”

“Because of cars,” the wizard adds.

“Yes,” the human says as he points to the moving contraption, racing up and down the road.

Hyungwon doesn’t care to further this topic, he’s in a rush,”Your bag,”

Glancing around, Hoseok can’t seem to spot. Honestly, he doubts anyone would steal it. The area was safe and he had nothing of value in his bag.

“It’s probably at the bakery,” he answers, it has to be.

“Where’s that?” the wizard wastes no time.

Sighing to himself, Hoseok points in the direction Hyungwon’s back is facing and the wizard turns around. 

The wizard is intrigued by the little shop, Sleepyashe blabbing in excitement.

The particular shop is sandwiched between a kind of perfume shop and a bar place. How interesting. The walls are uniformly white for all three establishments but each signage differs.

Across a black and white striped canopy, Hyungwon reads out loud, ”Monebebe Café…Why would it be there?”

“Cause,” Hoseok answers as he takes a hold of Hyungwon’s hand,” I work there.”

Hyungwon almost freezes at the contact but decides to let Hoseok lead the way.

The bell chimes as they enter and the Hyungwon gets increasingly fascinated with the décor. The walls are covered in mosaic tiles that let colours fade to white and back again into a new colour. It’s kinda trippy. The chandelier in the middle is low, low enough for Hyungwon to able to gentle stroke the long silvery beads.

He must look bizarre because he can feel eyes on him, eyes of the customers and some of the staff.

Hoseok luckily tugs him and the taller just shuffles along to behind the counter.

“Chan, you’ve seen my bag?” Hyungwon notes Hoseok’s voice is abnormally deep.

The young staff just shakes his head as he continues with the large silver machine, his eyebrows furrow at Hoseok’s choice of clothing.

“You left with it, didn’t you,” he offers.

“Well yeah but I kind of lost it,”

“Your bag is with Hyunwoo,” a red head with absurdly deep dimples yells from across the room, a tray of empty cups in his hand,”He found it on the street. What the hell are you wearing?”

“Thank god,” Hoseok sighs in relief, not bothering to explain.

“So,” the younger one starts,”Is this your idea of getting an assignment done.”

Hyungwon all of sudden feels uncomfortable, he drops his gaze only to locate his pet platypus trying to climb into the cake display. He soon realises humans can’t see magi creatures and if Hyungwon did try to retrieve Sleepyashe, he would look ridiculous picking up the air and shoving it into his pocket.

“Oh this is Hyungwon, a friend of mine. We ran into each other on the subway. He’s a …magican,”Hoseok teasingly explains. 

The last the wizard wants is more attention but the younger known as Chan turns to him in interest.

“Show me something,” he requests, a smiles on his lips but he’s eyes looks mischevious.

Hyungwon is weary of him.

“I’ma check in the back for my bag real quick,” and like that Hyungwon is left alone with really short but oddly suspicious person.

“I’m serious, I’ve always been interested in magic.”

Hyungwon isn’t sure what to do, the magicians here was con artist. It’s illegal to use actual magic to generate income. Plus, he’s an actual wizard, not some rent-a-magician.

But the occasion calls for it and Hyungwon does the first thing that comes to mind. The spell is quick and simple.

“Did you see it?” He asks and the other just looks confused.

“See what,”

“Hey,” Hoseok emerges suddenly and Hyungwon feels his stomach drop because there’s no bag or pocket watch in his hand.

“Did you find?” the red haired asks from across the counter.

“Nope,” Hoseok avoids eye contact with the wizard.

The doorbell chimes again and in walks a petite brunette,”Hoseok, I didn’t expect to see you back so soon, what are you wearing?”

“He came for his bag,” Chan says and Hoseok nods vigorously in the brunette's direction.

“Oh, I think Hyunwoo had it the delivery truck. He left not so long ago,”

“To where?” they look at him strangely but Hyungwon couldn’t care less, that pocketwatch was his only chance of finding the love of his life.

“A wedding, at the civic centre,” the brunette speaks softly.

Now it’s Hyungwon’s turn, his hand roughly tugs Hoseok hand,”We’re going there.”

Hoseok just gulps and nods his head, very aware of the way his friends are staring at him.

The wizard pulls him towards the door but stops abruptly and turns to the brunette,”Thank you.”

Wordlessly he turns around throws something in Chan’s direction. He doesn’t catch it but he hears it hitting the floor. The staff quickly bends down to look for it and finds it in the lining of the grout. 

Raising to feet, the redhead notices Chan’s amazement.

The younger reaches for his ear and his mouth dries up when he realises his earring is no longer there but in his hand- previously in Hoseok’s friend’s pocket.

When he looks up, the two have already left,”How did he do that?”

The red haired just eyes him further in amusement before he takes notice of something stranger,”Hey who ate all the cheesecake, I don’t remember serving eight slices of it.”

-

Rushing, Hyungwon realises he has no idea where this civic place is.

“You know Hyunwoo will have to come back,” the human kindly suggests.

“No,” Hyungwon snaps,”I need it now.”

Hoseok looks startled and Hyungwon finds himself apologising.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Everything in Hyungwon’s life had been a struggle, from school to magic. He always wasn't enough as he was. This is no different. If it had been anyone else but him, the Time Keeper would home by now. He was doomed to this loveless fate.

“Hey,” Hoseok speaks gently,”Listen, if we take a cab, it will be faster.”

Hyungwon blinks the tears away, how shameful he feels, crying in front of a human.

“It’ll be like fifteen minutes, we’ll be there in no time."

Nodding silently, Hyungwon keeps his eyes trained on the ground, Hoseok’s hand tugs on his sleeve and he follows.

“Get in.”

The command snaps Hyungwon out of his depressive musing and he looks to find one of those car things in front of him.

Hoseok holds the door open and gestures once again but why would go into that dangerous machine. They’re big, noisy and they smell terrible.

But He is the Time Keeper’s lover and he would have to make sacrifices for the love of his life.

Awkwardly, he slides into the vehicle and Sleepyashe soon follows.

Hoseok is oddly comfortable with the stranger, although the presence of the platypus does help quite a lot.

He soon joins Hyungwon and instructs the driver to head to the civic centre. Now that they're alone in a quiet space, he can think, he thinks he might mistakenly indigested some kind of drug.

That or everything is real and he’s sitting next to wizard. Weirdly it doesn't worry him or anything of that sorts. The lady and her flying cutlery seemed perfectly sweet, much sweeter than what he’s used to. Sure, the platypus thing it’s pretty cute and Hoseok likes playing with him.

What is wrong with him?

He should be more shook up. The warping thing should have had some kinda effect, more than just amazement.

Bafflement maybe?

Only in the safety of the cab, Hoseok really takes his time to admire the wizard. Such full lips with wide eyes, Hoseok never seen something like this before. The skin is a perfect midtone between caramel and cream with lengthy auburn tresses, tucked messily behind his ears.

Hyungwon is pretty or so Hoseok thinks.

His skin is smooth and his nose is pronounced. He looks like someone that would run a makeup vlog.

“Stop staring at me,” and shyly, Hoseok does just that.

But not before being a tease,” but your pretty.”

Hyungwon rolls his eyes, while conjuring a spell that halts the reddening of his cheeks.

A mere human!

-

“We’re here,” Hoseok notifies him when the car comes to a stop.

Hyungwon carefully follows him out the car and is greeted by rows of steps littered with flower petals. The doors of the building are ornamental and remind him of the décor in his lounge.

There’s people walking around and they all seem to know each other.

“By any chance, you wouldn’t have a spell that can change clothes?” Hoseok asks, as they weave through the people and up the stairs.

The wizard looks at him in offended,”Of course I do.” Tailoring spells are child’s play.

Hoseok doesn’t notice the offence because he’s too busy looking for a sample.

“Like that,” he says hastily, his finger pointing to the man smoking a cigarette.

Huh

“Dress us like that but preferably a different colour,” Hoseok explain.

“But why?”

“Because we’re attending a wedding,” he says as he smiles widely.

“Okay let-“

“Not here,” Hoseok stops him and drags him behind a pillar,”here.”

Hyungwon looks at him in annoyance but continues with the spell anyway. Hoseok isn’t sure what he expected when he made the request to the wizard but he has to admit, he looks pretty good. It happens much too quickly.

They’re wearing similar suits, Hoseok in black and Hyungwon in a charcoal grey. Naturally, Hoseok unbuttons his blazer as he peeks from behind the pillar. Obviously not in the mood, Hyungwon walks straight ahead into the entrance.

The magic realm had weddings too but not like this. Weddings were held In gardens and waterfalls, not large building decorated with dying flowers and odd décor.

“Can I see you invitation sir,” a young boy approaches him.

His what?

Luckily Hoseok chips in and explain their visit.

“Don’t just run off like that,” he reprimands the wizard.

“Don’t tell me what to do human,” Hyungwon replies and Hoseok just looks at him while Sleepyashe shakes his head.

Childish, Hyungwon is being childish. Hoseok is helping but it was Hoseok’s fault after all, even if it was Hyungwon who had left it on the train. It was still Hoseok’s fault because he wouldn’t have rushed off if he didn’t smack right into him.

The human chuckles and Hyungwon side eyes hm,”You’re cute when you're bitchy.”

He scatters for a way to react but Hoseok already takes the lead. Still a spluttering mess, Hyungwon allows the human to lead him by the hand. Hoseok’s palms are warm but rough and quite large to that of Hyungwon’s.

The entire space is overwhelming with warmth and beauty and Hyungwon takes back his contempt for human weddings.

“It’s beautiful,” he breathes out and Hoseok just smiles at the sight.

White and cream fabric is expertly draped across the ceiling, meet at the stem of the massive chandelier. The tables are long and adorned with white linen and gold overlays. A consistent arrangement of warm coloured flowers create a wave, moving down the length of the table, only accompanied with simple scented candles.

The aroma is so warm and flowery, it reminds him of Ms.Hyo.

“Let's go,” Hoseok’s hand tightening ever so lightly.

Hyungwon thinks his heart may have just jumped but he pushes it aside. He isn’t here to entertain the beauty of a human underneath the atmosphere of romance and laughter.

No, he was here to be the Time Keeper’s lover.

They walk briskly down the middle, no one really paying them any attention. The guests are too busy conversation or indulging in food or liquor.

The long Persian carpet leads to stairs that lead to another platform. Hyungwon only assumes that's where the bride and groom sits. No one is there at that moment. Not too far off, he finally sees. A tall chocolate wedding cake. Layers of glossy gold paint shimmer as a waterfall of chocolate pour over it.

“You like?” Hoseok pokes,”It’s one of the favourites at the bakery.”

Hyungwon feigns indifference. It is really pretty, though.

Before they can reach the stairs, Hoseok pulls them towards the corner of the room and into a wooden door that says ‘staff only’.

Once through there, Hoseok calls out,”Hyunwoo.” 

There two more doors and Hyungwon thinks one leads to the kitchen, so Hoseok takes the other. As expected, Hyunwoo is hunched over the motor in the cramped space.

Hoseok carefully approaches the unassuming victim and the elder just looks at him oddly when he feels warm hands on his neck.

Son Hyunwoo is the type of person that dies first in a scary movie.

Hyungwon has zero ideas about what’s going on but he enjoys Hoseok being all pouty.

“You weren’t the least bit scared?” He asks one more time, for safety.

“Nope,”Hyunwoo repeats, his eyes as peaceful and calm as ever.

Sighing, Hoseok gives in,” I came for my bag. Kihyun said you had it.”

“Oh yeah, I found on the road. It’s in the van,” Hyunwoo explains as he digs for the van keys.

“How long you going to be here?” Hoseok asks.

“I don’t know, they're supposed to have cut the cake by now but something came up and they’re taking pictures at some park. They're taking so long, the people basically got tired of waiting outside and decided to just start the reception themselves.”

That’s rude, Hyungwon thinks.

“Ouch, well thanks man,”Hoseok doesn’t want to waste any more time.

He can see Hyungwon shuffling awkwardly in the side of his eye.

Offering a small wave, the depart the room and soon enough, the entire building. Hyungwon’s long legs allow him to stride ahead of Hoseok, not that he knows where he’s going. Hoseok doesn’t bother to guide the other, he looks up and down the street only to find the bakery van right in front of him, at the opposite side of the road.

How blind was he?

Signalling Hyungwon, he unlocks the van and searches for his bag. The blue bag is tucked underneath the seat and it almost rips when Hoseok tugs at it with force. Hyungwon waits patiently, his foot tapping as his heart stutters. Sleepyashe has oddly been very content in his master’s pocket because he is sound asleep from all the excitement and cheese cake.

Hoseok finally steps out with the bag in one hand while his other hand digs in. His face contorts in concentration but it soon turns into despair and finally disappointment.”It’s not here.”

Hyungwon’s knees give way and thankful Hoseok rushes to aid him. 

The wizardly harshly pushes the human away but his face is still soft.

“I’m okay,” he defends himself,” I’m okay.”

Hoseok knows his not.

The plump lips being to quiver and Hoseok knows he needs to do some damage control but every time he steps towards him, the wizard steps away.

“Look, I’m sorry,” He begins but Hyungwon cuts him by tugging at his coat.

Wordlessly, with tears lining his eyes, Hyungwon motions him across the road. The sit on the extreme left of the stairs at the bottom. 

Hyungwon brings his knees up and lets his forehead rest on them.

“I’m hopeless,” he mutters.

Hoseok, not sure if he’s allowed to speaks, tries to soften the mood by placing his hand on the wizard’s back. The move proves more effective than intended because Hyungwon falls against his side.  
Strong arms wrap around his narrow frame, the wizard thinks he could just die of embarrassment.

To seek comfort in a human?

So what, as far as Hyungwon was concerned, he was worst than these temporary creatures. He had been given the key to Gaia’s entire future and he had frivolously lost it.

“What is wrong with me?”

“Hey,” Hoseok whispers, testing the waters.

“You smell like solar dust,” The wizard randomly notes.

“Well you smell like honey and vanilla,” he replies and it brings a smile to Hyungwon’s face.

He likes both honey and vanilla.

“Why was the watch so important?” he asks, when he thinks Hyungwon is capable of answering.

“It’s a guide, it's supposed to take me to my lover?” he says in one breath.

“Lover?”

“My soulmate,” Hyungwon further explains,” the day I was born, there was the birth of another. The birth of the person that would inherit time and I would serve as his lover.”

Before Hoseok can comment further, he hears a rush of people. 

Looking up the entrance, a crowd takes up the entrance court, a few randomly on the steps. Moments later, Hyungwon hears loud hooting and an odd shaped car arrives.

The wizard watches in silent awe as the people erupt in cheers. From the car, a petite man gets out and opens the back door. Another male gets out, he’s grinning ear to ear.

Hyungwon watches closely, now and again distracted by floating flower petals.

Suddenly everything stops, for Hyungwon at least. With the help of the groom, the bride cautiously steps out. He’s experienced too many emotions since he got here but none compete with this.  
She looks jaw dropping beautiful. Hyungwon’s never seen such an intricate dress, the white fabric is adorned with a stunning pattern of little diamonds and the way the hem is laid with lace. It's beautiful.

Hoseok notices the gloss over his eyes and the human finds himself smiling fondly at the other’s behaviours.

The groom offers his hand and the bride blushes before she takes it. Her smile is effortless and her cheeks swell up from all the happiness that is radiating from her face.

They look like they're in love.

The way he looks at her, with such adoration.  
He loves her.

Hyungwon wonders if the Time Keeper would ever look at him like that.

Funny he would think that when he doubts he’ll find his lover.

Hand in hand, the couple walks up the stairs. Each step slow as the bride picks her dress. The guests shower them with rice and rose petals as they cheer loudly.

It warms the wizard but it's hard when he never knows if he’ll ever reach that place in his life.

“You’ll find him,” Hoseok voice enters amongst the emotions.

Hyungwon doesn’t know what to say but the human's word soothes him.

“You called him your soul mate. If that’s the case, stop looking for him. My mother always said love, real love will find you. You don’t search, you attract it,” He explains as Hyungwon just stares.

“You think so,” he says finally.

Hoseok’s hands reaches for the wizard’s,”I know so but till then, lets distract ourselves.”

He doesn’t explain further and Hyungwon dumbly follows him back into the building.

Inside, everyone is a buzz, conversating as the people line up to take pictures with the married couple. Hoseok makes a beeline for the bar and is pleasantly surprised that it’s an open bar. Hyungwon soon joins him, his long legs clumsily perch on the bar stool.

“I don’t know about the magic world but here, when we have   
problems we drink this,” Hoseok explains seriously as he pushes a shot of tequila towards Hyungwon.

The wizard eyes him carefully before picking it up.

“Wait,” Hoseok instructs as he pushes a saucer of yellow and white towards the wizard,”Watch me,”

Carefully, Hoseok licks his hand and sprinkles the white powder on it, he then licks it off and downs the tiny cup of clear liquid. Immediately after that, he shoves a yellow fruit piece in his mouth.

Hyungwon finds the whole ritual strangely interested. Hoseok’s nose scrunch up ash shuts his eyes. It’s actually kind of cute.

Licking his lips, Hoseok structs the wizard,”You try,”

Hyungwon does just that, he thinks he’s doing pretty good until the clear liquid hits his palate and he almost chokes. Struggling to keep it down, he forces the foul liquid into his system. Hoseok’s fingers  
shoving a piece of lemon into his open lips. He must look ridiculous because the barmen look at him strangely while Hoseok laughs.

Spitting the lemon piece, Hyungwon finds himself coughing,”What in Gaia was that?”

“That my friend is a sure way to forget all of your problems,” Hoseok grins, ”and it's on the house.”

Hyungwon notes the barman doesn’t look too pleased about this.  
Shot after shot, Hyungwon is introduced to all types of alcohol. Some blue, some green and there's even a sweet multicoloured one.

He likes the blue one the most.

By the fifth glass, the novelty wears off and he’s faced with reality.  
Hoseok has left him to help Hyunwoo pack up the van. Without the human's presence, the wizard feels the room close in on him. He doesn't belong here.

At least he still has Sleepyashe, “Time to get going.”

Downing his sixth weird liquid for that day, he very slowly gets to his feet. The room tilts and he can feel his nerve ending tingling. He’s hot and uncomfortable, the suit is too heavy on his thin frame. He shrugs the suit jacket off before stumbling out of the venue.

He’s greeted with the cool winds and fresh air. His body finally breathes and he thinks his intoxication might have lessened but he can’t be sure. Awkwardly, he takes a seat on a random stair, his legs stretch out before him.

So alcohol was like Mizu, it could either make you giddy or depressed.

He started off giddy and Hoseok had easily entertained him but without the human’s company, Hyungwon felt despair draw near. No matter what anyone said, he knew it was over.

And Hyungwon couldn’t care less about Gaia or earth. Not a damn thing. Not when his heart was breaking.

How could he lose his one chance at finding his partner? He never allowed his strict upbringing to taint the image of his lover. No, the wizard believed his lover was out there for no one else but him. Whether he was beautiful or not, smart or not, strong or not, his lover would accept him because he was himself.

Because they were fated for each other.

How many people get this kind of opportunity?  
And he blew it.

Looking into the starry night, Hyungwon forgets there’s stray people around and lets his tears slip. His despair wakes Sleepyashe and the pet platypus prods into Hyungwon’s thigh before popping his head out of the pocket.

How unluckly can one be?

He feels the warm liquid slide down his face, the wind turning the trails icy. For all he can see, the night looks an infinite length of black velvet, sprinkled with mirror fragments.

It makes him miss home and it dawns on him that might never be able to go back home. How could when he had failed so miserably.

“Hyungwon!” he hears Hoseok’s unmistakable voice call out.

He just closes his eyes as the human rushes to his side. He knows Hoseok must have zeroed in on the tear trails but he really couldn’t care anymore.

“Hey,” he offers as he shuffles closer.

“It was right in my hands,” the wizard breathes out as more tears fall.

Hoseok’s hand comes to rest on his shoulder and just like before, the wizard allows himself to find comfort in a human.

“Why, why are you like this?” he asks without thinking but the more he thinks about it, the stranger it becomes.

Human learning of magic was taboo, they would freak out and possibly lash out.

And yet Hosek was like ‘meh, let's play with the cute magical creature.'

“ I don’t know,” Hoseok answers as he hands weave through Hyungwon tresses, the wizard’s head leaning heavily on his shoulder.

“but I do at the same time,” confesses and it gets Hyungwon to look up at him.

“Nothing legit but you wanna hear a story?” The humans ask, so sincerely, Hyungwon can feel the warmth of his words.

The wizard can only nod. Hoseok was nothing like humans, he was nothing like what they said humans would be and neither were those at the bakery.

Don’t trust them.

Too late.

Hyungwon finds himself waited with baited breath, ready to learn more about Hoseok

“It’s not a pretty story,” Hoseok laughs but the wizard feels the sadness seep through,”One day there was a lady with beautiful raven curls and eyes dark as the night itself. They said she was so beautiful that time stopped to propose to her but her family rejected him and away they ran. Of course living happily ever after. That’s the story my mother use to tell me, every night, the same one.”

Hyungwon can feel the emotions caught in Hoseok’s throat and he squeezes closer in some sort of an attempt to comfort him.

Inhaling sharply, Hoseok’s hand strokes Hyungwon shoulder before continuing,” The thing is, I was born out of wedlock. My grandfather was a prominent politician, you see. No one knows what happen to my father. No one told me the truth at least, not even my mother. When my grandfather died, my uncles kicked us out. Me and my mother that is. I was young and I assume my grandfather expected his sons to take care of their sickly sister. They didn’t, they hated my father and referred to him by all kinds of foul names. I was considered the bastard child and every time they did, my mother would look me in the eyes and with utter conviction, tell me I was a son of a wizard. Of course, i believed her when i was like six but as I grew, i just rolled my eyes but she never changed her tune. She had to work, of course, to support us. In the end, she worked herself to death.”

Hyungwon doesn’t know why but his arms wrap around Hoseok and the human just laughs as he hugs back.

“So now you know my darkest time and I know yours but it gets better,” he whispers as he leans out of the hug.

Hoseok doesn’t know but it pains him to see the other crying, his fingers come up to brush the tears off Hyungwon’s face,”Don’t cry, it’s okay.”

The wizard smiles through the waterworks, chuckling when he catches Hoseok giggling.

“I’m sorry, I just. I feel so shallow,” Hyungwon mutters as he tries to compose myself.

“Don’t, don’t” Hoseok reassures him, “We’re all prepared for our own battles.”

Straightening up, Hyungwon looks to the sky again, forcing the tears back. Sleepyashe nestling into his stomach.

“Here,” Hoseok digs into his pocket and retrieves a small wrapped object.

The wizard takes it with interest, the platypus eyeing it with suspicion.

“It’s a fortune cookie, I took it from one of the tables,” Hoseok explains.

“I open it?” Hyungwon asks as he looks at the object closely.

“Yeah, you open the packet and you break the cookie and inside you’ll find your fortune,”

“So it’s like a prophet?”

Hoseok laughs, his eyes glossy with adoration,”A poor man’s prophet.”

“Don’t you have one?” The wizard asks as he sets upon the task of opening the prophet

“There was only one and I'm pretty sure it was meant for you.”

The wizard just nods, his fingers latching onto the cookie. Sleepyashe licks his lips but Hoseok grabs the pet before it devours the treat.

“Open it,” Hoseok ushers him and Hyungwon obliges.

The cookies cleanly breaks and Hyungwon gently tugs at the piece of paper tucked inside. He hands the actual cookie to Hoseok as his eyes focus on the lettering.

He was good with the written word of the human, well most written words of the humans. Honestly, they had too many, Gaia just had one.

He sounds each word individually,”Trust, your...instincts.”

Bullshit, very far his instincts had gotten him.

He turns to Hoseok to complain but stops in favour of watching the human. The platypus is on his lap, mouth wide open as Hoseok drops bits of the cookies in. The human mocks shock when the cookie is finished and the pet platypus babbles for more.

Too adorable.

Only then does he take notice of the figures walking by, casting them strange looks. He doesn’t understand why though. Hoseok and Sleepyashe look perfectly adorable. None the less, he spots a few figures furrowing their brows at them and Hyungwon takes offence but soon the realisation hits him.

Human’s can’t see sleepyashe, so basically, Hoseok is feeding the fresh air bits of cookies.

The group of guest disperse and Hyungwon appreciate their absence, he turns to Hoseok to make another comment, something about how rude humans can be.

He doesn’t get that far because the minute he looks at the other, Hyungwon feels his breath escape him. The air gets too dense and he feels his heart clench with the new found epiphany.

If humans can’t see sleepyashe, how come Hoseok can?

Trust your instincts. The watch will guide you.

His voice is barely a whisper,”Love will find you, that's what you said.”

He raises to his feet and Hoseok follows in concern.

“Are you okay?” Hoseok asks as his eyes scrutinise Hyungwon,” need some water perhaps?”

“What do you see, when you look around?”

The human looks confused but he glances around,”Huh, buildings, stars, people. I don’t know. Whatever you're seeing I suppose.”

But Hyungwon sees more than that. He sees the fluctuation of the earth’s energy, the fragments of excess emotions, the grid that flows through the air.

Maybe he was wrong but even if he was, he still wanted to do this. 

Time keeper or not, Hyungwon felt something for Hosek, something so inexplicable, so encompassing, he thinks he never wants this night to end.

He might just die if he leaves and Hyungwon knows,”It’s you. All the time it’s been you,”

Hoseok looks at him wide-eyed, Hyungwon thinks he sees their entire future in the depth of the dark pupils.

His rests his palms against the human’s chest as he leans in to kiss him harshly. There is no finesse and Hyungwon has never kissed a person before but Hoseok carefully takes the lead. The wizard feels warm arms hook around his waist, pulling him as close as he can with this height difference.

Each second of the kiss unleashes something that makes Hyungwon weak in the knees. His body over rides with a new sensitivity and he knows he has found the key. It feels overwhelming, invigorating and oddly comforting at the same time. His flesh perks up and his chest tightens as each wave of energy passes through him. It's too much and too little at the same time. He wants more of his love, he wants it all but something foreign takes precedence.

The sense of belonging brings tears to his eyes. He’s just so happy, the way his body aches for Hoseok, he feels himself love drunk of their love. His heart opens up and they break apart breathlessly.

The energy fizzles out but he can feel remanents linger around him. His eyes gently open and he watches in awe as Hoseok pants, cheeks rosy as his eyes are still closed.

Hyungwon feels his neck strain but he ignores it.

He ignores it all, the only thing that exist in his space is the Time Keeper.  
Hoseok hesitantly opens his eyes but when he does, he immediately notices Hyungwon crying. Not giving him a chance, Hyungwon crushes him into a hug.

Tears stream as he smiles confesses all kinds of nonsense,”I though I would never find you. I had all these feelings and the thought of never having you. It just hurt...”

He continues to cry as Hoseok strokes his back reassuringly. 

Honestly Hoseok is still in shock but Hyungwon's tears made all of the sensory trauma disperse. Now he lets his eyes wander, his mind trying to make sense of all the floating colours he sees and the stillness around the scenery around them.

It’s like seeing the world for the first.

More than that, it’s like feeling for the first time. He can feel Hyungwon’s soul, the depths of his emotions and the sincerity of his heart. It’s like they’re one person but two at the same time. He can’t explain it but he feels such desperation to ease the other, each moment he cries, Hoseok feels wounded.

No words need to be exchanged, he knows Hyungwon belongs to him. It's primal, instinctual and Hoseok feels his pride inflate as he coddles the other.

“Stop my baby,” He says confidently,”I don’ ever want to see you cry.”

The taller just smiles, trying his best to ease his tears.

“Let me see you,”Hoseok commands kindly.

Hesitantly Hyungwon steps back, his eyes shyly glancing at the ground. His eyes immediately gravitate to Sleepyashe and the pet platypus's eyes is wide as it’s entire body is frozen in suspended animation. Looking around hastily, Hyungwon feels his heart race.

They stopped time.

It only eases when he feels Hoseok’s hand cup his face. He’s too shy to look at the other in the eye but the Time Keeper isn’t having it.

“Look at me,” how could Hyungwon not obey.

Hoseok openly admires him, a breathtakingly gorgeous smile gracing his lip,

"A beauty such as yourself, how can time not stop for you,”

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah my first entry for IRIDESCENT Hyungwonho challenge. Wizard/witches au
> 
> Inspired by harry potter and fantastic beasts
> 
> Creds  
> Sleepyashe is the name of a character in the anime Servamp.  
> The platypus is from fantastic beasts ( if you haven't watched it, google it. This creature is adorable!)  
> Sirin is a mythological creature of Russian legends, with the head and chest of a beautiful woman and the body of a bird (usually an owl).
> 
> Kudos and comments(more so) are greatly appreciated.  
> Excuse the errors and thank you for reading.


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